Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District

About Chippewa Falls

Chippewa Falls is located on the banks of the Chippewa River, 90 miles east of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and 247 miles northwest of Milwaukee. The population of Chippewa Falls is about 13,000 with a county population of approximately 55,000. Chippewa Falls is the seat of Chippewa County in West-Central Wisconsin. The city was incorporated in 1869, about 33 years after it was originally settled.

History & Heritage

Chippewa Falls is nestled on the banks of the beautiful Chippewa River. A few French, German, Irish, and Scandinavian immigrants settled Chippewa Falls in 1836. Chippewa Falls was originally a stop along the Ojibwe Nation’s migration route and would not only use this area to hunt deer, but for many other purposes as well.

Map When the settlers came to Chippewa Falls, they established it as a lumbering town. By the mid 1850’s, area sawmills were producing 100,000 board feet of lumber per day. At one point in its rich history, Chippewa Falls boasted the largest sawmill in the world under one roof.

From its humble beginnings of fur trading and logging to the development of the supercomputer, Chippewa Falls has an exciting industrial heritage. Chippewa Falls is home to nationally known Mason Shoe, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, and Chippewa Springs Water and internationally known computer technology company Cray Inc.